by Alec Peche
“Jill, I have been planning for the worst, a sneak attack by Lark. I spoke with Sheriff Arstand on the way over to your house. Lark is mad and probably mentally unstable. Her company has significant resources as far as copters, surveillance equipment, light planes, and weapons. As CEO, she can commandeer any of those resources for her personal use. The fact that she didn’t attack immediately last night is probably an indication that she needed time to recover from her wound and to get resources to the Palisades Valley.”
“The Sheriff has put a request in to the FAA to see if someone can determine if there are any copters in this area that can be spotted on radar. It can be a slow process, as any private, legitimate copters in this area must be taken into account. We, of course, have an all-points-bulletin out for her, but she could be coming at us from any angle. The good news is that her shooting arm is injured. I made sure that my aim would make it hard for her to squeeze her trigger hand.
“I think we have to assume that she will have at least one accomplice. At the very least the person who flies the helicopter to her if, indeed, that is how she's going to pursue you. The next question is how will she find you? Have you gone through all of your belongings from the past few days and looked for GPS trackers? She found you quickly yesterday at the Sheriff's station. I hope that was because your distinctive car was parked in front of the building. We know that GPS trackers were placed on the FBI agent’s car, so it's a tactic that has worked for this group in the past. Why don't you start going through all of your belongings as well as the dog’s stuff to see if you notice anything."
“I searched my belongings yesterday, and I did not find anything that looked like a tracker, but let me check again.”
Jill searched her belongings as well as Trixie's and could not find any sort of a tracking device. Deputy Davis now approached the on-ramp to the Interstate. They had discussed the need for lights and siren but thought that was more likely to bring attention to the car. The deputy put the car on cruise control at 75 miles per hour. Trixie was being a good dog by lying in the foot well of the backseat. Jill slouched in her seat, keeping an eye out for what she thought to be suspicious behavior by any of the vehicles around them. She soon found that the passengers of nearly every car were curious as to who was in the backseat of a cop car. She was amazed at the number of disapproving looks she received from people thinking that she was being driven to jail. More than one set of parents pointed to her while talking to their children. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?
Given the freak of curiosity that she was in the backseat, Jill decided that she should just look out the window to see if anyone or anything was approaching their car. Jill relaxed when nothing happened after 5 minutes. She and the deputy returned to their conversation regarding strategy to fight Lark and her toys.
"If we should see the helicopter, I think we need to take cover as soon as possible. None of these overpasses look big enough to protect the car. What we need to do is pull the car into one of these orchards, as the trees would give us some cover against a copter. If we are lucky, we might find a multi-level parking structure that would give us good cover. Downside of this idea is that we would potentially risk other lives.”
They were both secretly worried about rocket propelled grenades. They knew from the FBI debriefing that the previous helicopter had that weapon on board. Tree coverage would not do much for protection. What they really needed was a redwood forest in which to take cover. Of course, the real question was would they see the copter soon enough to take evasive action?
While they drove, someone at the Sheriff’s office relayed information to them as to whether there were any copter sightings. They were lucky in that it was late morning, so there was no traffic to slow them down or box them in. Word came over the radio that the FBI's helicopter was on its way east to meet the agents and the deputy's car. Initially, it had been tied up in a hostage situation somewhere in the San Francisco Bay Area. Apparently, that situation had ended, and now the copter was heading their way following the Interstate route.
Jill heaved a sigh of relief that they might get equal firepower before the battle raged. She didn't even know if Lark was after her at this point in time or whether she was hiding while her hand healed. They continued the drive for another 30 minutes. Jill was getting exhausted scanning the sky for a helicopter that might or might not be there. Jill appreciated law enforcement’s ability to shelter her.
Deputy Davis and Jill completed their journey by meeting the agents at a freeway rest stop. In the distance, Jill saw a helicopter approaching the rest area. She and Trixie made a dash for the woman's restroom, thinking it would be the safest and closest place to hide.
Agent Brown stopped her. "Jill, that's the FBI helicopter. You don't have to run for cover."
Jill turned around, planning on returning to the cars. She could hear the helicopter landing in the now-empty pet walking area at the back of the rest stop.
"Oh, crap, Jill, take cover it’s not the FBI copter!" yelled Agent O'Sullivan.
Jill wanted to return to the safety of the vehicles, but they were too far away. Her options included getting closer to the copter by trying to hide behind the building, or she could choose a picnic table, a tree, or a cement trash can. She should have made her choice 5 seconds before, but she was sluggish.
The rest stop was relatively light with travelers. Deputy Davis used her car PA system to advise the 5 visitors to take cover and return to their cars if possible. So far Lark and her crew had not injured any bystanders. She only hoped it would stay that way.
Members of law enforcement had a better view of the situation than did Jill. With hand signals taught her by the FBI agents while she had been in the safehouse, the agents guided her movement. Jill, with a tight hold on Trixie, managed to get within 10 feet of the vehicles when she got the signal to halt. Deputy Davis created a shooting diversion to help Jill cover the final 10 feet and get into the shield of the agents and their vehicles.
It appeared as though there were a total of 3 passengers on the copter with Lark being one of them. One of the 3 was the pilot who stayed inside the copter, and the other 2 were on the ground making their way toward Jill. She thought that the woman had really lost her mind. Killing her would not change the evidence in the case. There was no logical reason to still be pursuing her.
"I have been using my binoculars to determine what weapons the 2 helicopter passengers have. It appears that they have many weapons and that there may be more under their clothing. They have a few grenades, magazine clips, Glock pistols in side holsters, and they are carrying semi automatics. I can see that Lark's hand is wrapped up. It looks like they have some sort of protective vests and helmets on," said Deputy Davis.
"The FBI helicopter has an ETA of 4 minutes, and the pilot knows that we are about to be in a gun fight. As they don't seem to have respirators, I think we should launch smoke bombs at the two of them to slow them down," said Agent O’Sullivan.
Jill had no experience with knives or guns. In college, she had played NCAA women's baseball, and she thought that her contribution could be accurate placement of the smoke bomb. She informed the agents of this.
"Well, give it a try. What you want to do is create a line in the sand metaphorically with the smoke bombs to make it hard for Lark and company to breathe and see us. Rapid placement of 2 bombs in front of each of them should be effective. As soon as you pull the pin, the bomb will start smoking, so you want to throw them quickly and in fast succession so they don't have the opportunity to move around the bombs. Remember, the bombs will bounce, so factor that in your placement. Judging by the way the flag is blowing atop the restroom, the wind is blowing into them," said Deputy Davis as she handed Jill the grenades.
The trick for Jill was to reduce her accuracy by using a baseball overhand pitch, which was how she warmed up for the underhanded softball pitch. By throwing overhand she could keep more of her body hidden longer by the vehicles. Fortunately, sh
e had maintained her skill over the years by pitching balls to Trixie. It wasn’t a foreign movement long forgotten.
Jill took a moment to decide on her placement and then quickly lobbed the grenades. As she watched, her placement was around 90 percent accurate. Not bad, as she had never thrown an object of such size and weight before. She did a little dance of cheer inside her head when she saw that the bombs had given the agents, Jill, and Deputy Davis the critical minutes for reinforcements to arrive.
While the smoke billowed and blocked the vision of Lark and her companion, Jill took the opportunity to look around her. The 5 visitors had all taken cover at the back of their vehicles, giving them some shielding. In the distance towards San Francisco, she could see a helicopter approaching. This could be the FBI's or the California Highway Patrol's copter coming to their aid. She hoped the copter wasn't coming to Lark’s aid.
She turned back to stare at the smoke. She had not seen any movement from beyond her own imaginary line of a smoke barrier. She would not believe that Lark would just pack up onto her helicopter and leave over a bit of smoke.
"What do you think is going on? I have not seen any movement. Is the approaching helicopter friend or foe?” asked Jill of the agents.
“That helicopter is a friend. This time, I'm sure, as we verified that with headquarters. Just as Lark can’t see us because of the smoke, we can't see her. Our approaching copter has had a scope on Lark's helicopter and movement. Her friend has been seen arguing with her and trying to get her to get back on the helicopter. She has moved toward her helicopter but has not boarded it yet. If she does get onboard and the copter lifts off, we could be in greater risk, as she would have an overhead shot,” explained Agent O’Sullivan.
By now, the FBI helicopter had reached the rest stop. Lark pulled a shoulder-mounted missile launcher out of her own copter and turned around to aim it at the FBI helicopter. An Agent inside the copter fired at Lark, striking her on the leg just as she fired. Lark’s leg buckled under her, and the rocket went off harmlessly straight up in the air before self-detonating.
The helicopter pilot didn’t trust her to not try again, so he took evasive action. He executed a series of sharp curves and dives and landed with the restroom between Lark and the FBI helicopter. The rotor was shut down quickly, and everyone exited the cab loaded with weapon power.
The civilians on the ground were completely wide-eyed over the past 10 minutes. Thankfully, none of the civilians had children with them. One of the FBI agents crawled over to them and spoke with them. He gathered them at the farthest car and stayed with them to provide communication and protection.
The other 5 agents joined Jill, Deputy Davis, and Agents Brown and O’Sullivan. They had a discussion. The smoke grenades were dissipating, and they had a decent view of Lark and her helicopter. She had not gotten onto her feet after being shot. The FBI used a megaphone to tell Lark and her accomplices that they were surrounded and to put their hands in the air and surrender.
Instead Lark had been dragging herself closer to her helicopter and spoke on her cell phone to someone. Her helicopter blades sped up, and her associates got her inside the cab, and the helicopter took off. The FBI agents decided to give Lark a lead. With the civilians in the area to keep safe, they were better moving this fight to a different location.
Leaving a second agent behind, the other agents jumped aboard the FBI helicopter and took off in pursuit. The FAA had been alerted and was tracking Lark’s helicopter. The agent spoke with the civilian group. After collecting names and contact information, he advised the people that they were safe to return to their journeys. Deputy Davis removed orange cones from her trunk and closed the rest stop entry ramp. If Lark and her helicopter returned, the last thing they needed was a new group of civilians to protect.
The civilians departed, and Jill was left with 4 FBI Agents and Deputy Davis.
"What do you think Lark's next move will be? As if she has been at all predictable over the past 2 weeks," asked Jill
"Let me get a status of where her helicopter is at this point," stated Agent Lansky, as he stepped away from the group to call his colleagues aboard the helicopter. After a lengthy conversation, he returned to the group.
"Her helicopter was found abandoned. There was blood in the interior, presumably from her leg wound. It was a moderate amount, but the agent thought he likely did not strike a major artery inside her leg. As the path of blood stops about 30 feet from the abandoned helicopter, we believe she switched to a vehicle previously parked at the site. I have requested that local law enforcement secure the abandoned helicopter. Meanwhile, the other agents have returned to the air looking for suspicious vehicles."
"Great, she has disappeared again. I was hoping to return home with Deputy Davis. However, with her on the loose, I can’t go home."
"Jill, I checked in with Sheriff Arstand, and he indicated that he could spare me for the rest of the day. So we could wait this out with the hope that the FBI will apprehend her. Agents Brown, Sullivan, and Lansky, what are your thoughts?"
"We are in a relatively unsecure location. The rest stop does not provide much cover for any kind of aerial or ground attack. Our nearest somewhat secure location is the Stanislaus Sheriff’s station. Given the damage Lark incurred yesterday at Deputy Davis’s station, we may not be welcomed with open arms, but we will be secure at that location. Let's remove the cones and depart this rest stop immediately. I'll take the lead as I have directions," said Agent Brown.
"I'll join Jill and Deputy Davis to provide extra coverage in their car," said Agent Lansky.
The rest stop was re-opened and the 2 cars departed for the local Sheriff's station. After following Agent’s Brown car for about 3 miles, Agent Lansky spoke up from the front seat of Deputy Davis’s cruiser.
"I believe we have a problem. This is not the way to the closest Sheriff's station. I believe that Agent Brown may be leading us toward the vehicle carrying Lark. I don't see any traffic close to us, which is good. I will alert the pilot in the FBI helicopter via text that we have a problem on the ground in case Agent Brown is monitoring communications.”
“Agent Ortiz alerted me to the possibility that agent Brown may be providing information on Jill’s location during our flight to the rest stop. Lark's continued ability to locate the agents and Jill sounded like we might have an internal leak. I watched Agent Brown at the rest stop, and never did he take aim against Lark. My attention was not on him while I spoke with the civilians. However, I noted that he did not communicate with or look up the whereabouts of the Stanislaus Sheriff's station. That would not be protocol. Furthermore, I looked for directions myself, and we are not going the correct direction. I don't believe that Agent O'Sullivan is involved."
"Why don't I call ahead to Agents Brown and O’Sullivan’s car and indicate that we are having car problems and to pull to the side with us. I know what is under the hood and can easily disable the car. Depending on how I disable it, I can quickly repair it if we need a fast departure. I’ll start slowing down, then I'll pull over to the side of the road, pop the hood, and quickly disable the car. If we're sure that Agent Brown is Lark's puppet, we could handcuff him to the squad car and take off in the other car until we get some backup," suggested Deputy Davis.
"I'm just re-confirming with Agent Ortiz as to whether we have a problem with Brown. I would hate to leave him handcuffed to a car if he is still one of us, a good guy."
Deputy Davis and Jill listened to the one-sided conversation that Agent Lansky had with the FBI regional office in San Francisco. On his end, Agent Lansky mostly said yes or no after describing the current situation. He ended the call and briefed them.
"Agent Ortiz believes that Agent Brown is involved in the crimes. We have been ordered to handcuff him inside the squad car. We will need to search him for weapons and cell phones prior to locking him in the car. Once we handcuff him, we are to contact Agent Ortiz, who will place a call to the Stanislaus Sheriff requesting backup and g
iving us a status as to the current situation. Any questions? Then Deputy Davis, let's put your plan in place. Call Agent Brown, slow down, and disable this car as soon as you can. Do you have handcuffs that we can use on Agent Brown?”
Deputy Davis nodded and picked up her phone and called Agent O'Sullivan.
"Agent O'Sullivan, we have a car problem. I'm slowing down and pulling off to the right shoulder. We will all have to pile into your car, along with the dog, as we head toward the Sheriff’s station.”
Chapter 31
The deputy pulled her foot off the gas and let the car drift to the side of the road. She quickly popped the hood and pulled a few things apart before Agent Brown arrived to look at the engine with her. Agent Lansky casually came up behind Agent Brown. Agent Lansky and Deputy Davis handcuffed Agent Brown. Jill had Agent Ortiz on the cell phone and passed it over to Agent O'Sullivan so that she could hear from her supervisor that Agent Brown was on the wrong side of justice.
In no time, they had a resigned Agent Brown handcuffed and minus his weapon seated inside the Sheriff’s squad car. The car windows were partially down, and he was in the backseat unable to get out of the car. Agent O'Sullivan, Agent Lansky, Deputy Davis, Jill, and Trixie all got into the unmarked FBI car. This time they did a U-turn and followed the correct route to the Sheriff’s station. According to their GPS, it was 12 miles to their destination.
Agent Ortiz had notified the Stanislaus Sheriff of their pending arrival. Her request for backup could not be met, as the deputies had already answered 2 serious calls, a domestic dispute and a bad car accident.
Agent Lansky contacted the helicopter to get a progress report.